Could you have stayed in the fight against this armed robber like the store owner did here? I think in the end he practiced good Active Self Protection!

If you value what we do at ASP, would you consider becoming an ASP Patron Member to support the work it takes to make the narrated videos like these armed robbers getting their just desserts? https://get-asp.com/patron gives the details.

What does this awesome disarm teach us about surviving against an armed robber?

In any territorial or predatorial violence, the attacker gets to set the time and circumstances of the attack. They will almost always launch that attack from ambush, or as we like to call it in Umas, from “obscurity.” Surviving that ambush is one of the most important keys to successfully defending yourself. The armed robber here definitely chose his opportunity to surprise the store owners!

Successful self-defense against many attacks involves a counter-ambush, where the victim finds the right opportunity to seize the initiative from the armed robber and launch an ambush of their own. That involves thinking and knowing your own strengths and skill set, and being ready to strike the attacker when your opportunity for counter-ambush comes. It also means not allowing the attacker to see that attack until it’s launched. The armed robber had the jump here, but the successful counter-ambush changed everything.

When considering your counter-ambush, remember that your environment is everything in you, on you, and around you. Don’t discount an environmental weapon like a hammer on a table or a kitchen knife on the counter when dealing with an armed robber. Of course, it’s preferable to have purpose-built tools like a firearm for self-defense, but in the moment an armed robber attacks you don’t negate what’s in your environment if you need it.

The root word of gunfight is “fight,” not “gun.” Whether you carry a firearm or not, recognize that you need to know how to fight and protect yourself against an armed robber! Even if you do carry a firearm, you need empty-handed skills to be able to fight your way to your gun or defend yourself before you get the opportunity to draw. To think otherwise is madness. The owners did a pretty good job against the armed robber for sure!

The Five Ds are a tool that we use at ASP to organize our training and preparation for defending ourselves against an armed robber or other attacker when we are not armed ourselves. (or if we are armed but outdrawn such that we must deal with the problem with our hands) Deflect, Dominate, Distract, Disarm, Disable. We pursue them from first to last, in order, to give us the best chance of successfully defending ourselves against an armed opponent. Deflect their force multiplier, Dominate as much as possible (best is the whole person, second is the arm with the tool, last is the tool itself), Distract the attacker (usually using pain, redirection, movement, etc.), Disarm the attacker, and Disable the attacker.

There are 3 additional lessons for Patron Members and 3 class starters for Instructors from this armed robbery, so please join us in those programs to see them!

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